NHL Enforcer, Rick Rypien, Found Dead In His Alberta Home

The circumstances of his death have not yet been officially confirmed and we won’t publish that until they are out of respect for his memory and family.

To those outside of Vancouver, Rypien may be best known for an incident from October of last season whereat he got into an altercation with a Minnesota Wild fan and suffered a 6 game suspension as a result. Rypien signed a 1 year contract with the Winnipeg Jets a month ago.

To most of us, he was just another enforcer and, truth be told, from an opposing fan perspective, we probably didn’t like him very much. However, that doesn’t change that he was a human being playing out his dreams of being a NHL player and gave his heart and soul to the game. He also no doubt had many people in his life who loved him and thought the world of him. One such person is Angela Rypien, his cousin, who sent tweets stating:

“Please keep my family and I in your prayers on this very difficult day today!”

“I will never forget today and what sadness and hurt it has brought upon my family!”

I haven’t been keeping track, and there’s no way they are related, but it seems like a few enforcers have recently past away before their time. Rest in peace Rick, and my condolences to his family for their loss.